1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sportsboards and more particularly to a sportsboard such as a snowboard, wakeboard or skateboard having a handle structure on at least one end thereof so as to be grasped by a rider while the rider is suspended in air and performing aerobatics, and which may be grasped to transport the sportsboard when not in use.
2. Background of Related Art
Snowboarding is a sport that allows a rider to perform numerous tricks and maneuvers on the slopes. With each season, new and more innovative tricks are developed as riders continually attempt to evolve the sport. In addition to riding skill, a critical part of the evolution of snowboarding has been the transformation of the board itself. New materials and construction techniques have helped make snowboarding the fastest growing of all winter sports.
Snowboarding, as well as other similarly situated sports such as wakeboarding, allow aerial stunts and aerobatics. For instance, many snowboarding tricks are an adaptation of maneuvers developed for skateboarding, a similarly situated sport in which the sportsboard and rider are not attached by any form of binding. While performing tricks, an important element of snowboarding, skateboarding and wakeboarding is the requirement to grasp the sportsboard while suspended in air to add to the difficulty and beauty of the aerobatic maneuver so that the board remains in contact with the rider.
Unlike skateboards and wakeboards, the snowboard requires steel edges to carve through the snow. These generally sharp edges pose a safety concern to any portion of the body that comes into contact with them. Conventionally, gloves are worn by the rider because of environmental conditions but also to prevent the edges of the snowboard from cutting into the hands and wrists when the rider grabs the tip or tail while performing aerobatic tricks. It has been found, however, that the sharp edges tend to damage gloves worn by the riders.
Moreover, wakeboards, while riding on a water surface rather than a snow covered surface as in snowboarding, creates a slippery environment. Here, hands tend to slip off the tip or tail of a conventional wakeboard when grasped quickly as in the midst of an acrobatic maneuver when thrust into the air by the wake of a towing boat.
Furthermore, sportsboards such as snowboards, wakeboards and skateboards are generally awkward and difficult to carry when not being ridden.
Accordingly, there is a need for sportsboards which do not damage a gripping hand, which allow a better grasp in wet or slippery conditions, and/or which provide an easier way to grasp when not being ridden.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a sportsboard comprises an upper surface to contact a user of the sportsboard, a bottom surface opposing the upper surface, a front end, and a rear end. At least one of the front end and rear end include a handle structure defining a generally smooth surface for engagement with at least a portion of a hand of the user.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a snowboard comprises a board structure having an upper surface to contact with a user of the snowboard and an opposing bottom surface to contact with a medium to be ridden. The board structure has a front end and a rear end. At least one of the front end and the rear end include a handle structure constructed and arranged to be grasped by at least a portion of a hand of the user such that the user may remain in contact with the board structure when the bottom surface of the board structure is out of contact with the medium being ridden and such that the board structure may be transported by hand by the user. The handle structure comprises generally smooth surfaces defining at least one opening in the at least one end of the front end and the rear end of the board structure, the at least one opening extending through the board structure from the upper surface to the bottom surface thereof, the at least one opening being sized to receive the portion of the hand of the user such that the user may grasp at least one of the smooth surfaces defining the at least one opening.
In accordance with another aspect, a snowboard comprises a board structure having an upper surface to be fixed with respect to a user of the snowboard and an opposing bottom surface to contact with a medium to be ridden. The board structure has a front end and a rear end. At least one of the front end and the rear end include a handle structure constructed and arranged to be grasped by at least a portion of a hand of the user such that the user may remain in contact with the board structure when the bottom surface of the board structure is out of contact with the medium being ridden and such that the board structure may be transported by hand by the user. The handle structure comprises a curved portion at the at least one of the front end and the rear end of the board structure, the curved portion defining a lip spaced from the upper surface of the board structure. An opening between the lip and the upper surface of the board structure is sized to receive the portion of the hand of the user.
In accordance with yet another aspect, a snowboard comprises an upper surface, a lower surface, and a handle structure adapted and arranged to receive a grasping hand of a user of the snowboard.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a sportsboard handle comprises a handle having mounting points at opposite sides thereof, the handle being adapted and arranged for mounting to an upper surface of an end of a sportsboard.
A method of modifying a sportsboard having a front end and a rear end in accordance with the present invention comprises mounting a handle structure to at least one of the front end and the rear end of the sportsboard. The handle structure defines an opening sized to receive at least a portion of a hand of a user.